The present invention relates to an inflator attaching structure in which an inflator for expanding an occupant-restraining device is attached to a member of a vehicle body side, and more specifically, it relates to an inflator attaching structure to be applied to, for example, an occupant-restraining device or the like configured to prevent a body of an occupant from moving forward when in forward collision. Further, the present invention relates to a lap anchor for connecting a base end side of a lap portion of an air belt to a seat member.
As a system for restraining an occupant of a motor vehicle when in a car crash, a device for raising a front portion of a seat cushion when in a car crash so that a submarine phenomenon, in which the occupant has a behavior to slip through a lower side of a lap belt when in a car crash even when the occupant wears a seatbelt, is prevented is proposed. For example, a seat for use in a motor vehicle configured to push up a front end portion of a seat cushion by mechanism of an airbag is described in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-217818 (“JP Pub. No. '818”), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In JP Pub. No. '818, an inflator is arranged in an internal part of the airbag.
As an occupant restraining device, an air belt device (expansion-type seatbelt device) is known, such as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-312439 (“JP Pub. No. '439”), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In the air belt device described in JP Pub. No. '439, both a shoulder belt and a lap belt are configured to be expandable. Each of the end sides of the expansion-type shoulder belt and the expansion-type lap belt are connected to a tongue having a duct, and gas supplied from an inflator (gas generator) is configured to be introduced into the shoulder belt and the lap belt via the tongue (duct). Incidentally, the other end side of the lap portion is connected to a lap anchor, and the lap anchor is connected to a side face portion of a seat frame.
This inflator is firmly fixed to a buckle, and the buckle is connected to a side face portion at a side of the seat frame opposite to the lap anchor (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 in the JP Pub. No. '439). In the buckle, a gas-supplying passage to be communicated with the duct of the tongue is provided.
In JP Pub. No. '439, only a tip end of the inflator having a straight rod like shape is connected to the buckle and therefore, connecting strength of the inflator is presumed to be relatively low.